Sanders has plenty of time in battle with Patriots

He’s new to the Chargers, but by no means is this New England Patriots thing unfamiliar territory to Bob Sanders.

Sanders might as well have merely changed the logo on his white helmet and hue of blue in his uniform, given all the times he’s found himself playing in big games against the Patriots, who might’ve been part of an even more intense rivalry with the Colts than the Chargers have experienced.

“I’ve played plenty of games against Bob,” said Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who engaged in some classic shootouts with Peyton Manning over the years. “Hes a physical presence. When he lines somebody up, he can bring it as well as anybody in the league. …

“He’s got the whole package. Smart. Experienced. Tough.”

Brady couldn’t help but notice which Chargers player chased down and caught Minnesota Vikings super-back Adrian Peterson on his 46-yard breakaway last Sunday. That was the same safety, Sanders, who once had 11 tackles and an interception in a game against New England.

Six times, including two playoff games and four Colts wins, Sanders has been healthy enough to play against New England. He’s made 42 tackles, picked off two passes and forced a fumble.

“To me, you gotta stop their deep ball,” said Sanders. “They do a great job with the shorter passes, the crosses and things like that, but their deep ball is the big thing.”

Wes Welker remains Brady’s primary target among wide receivers – the combo turned a 19-yard pass into a 99½-yard touchdown Monday night – but he no longer has Randy Moss for the longer throws. Ostensibly, that’s why the Pats brought in Chad Ochocinco, who only had one reception for 14 yards Monday night.

“He’s still a good player,” said Sanders of Ochocinco. “I’m sure as the weeks go on, they’ll put in more and more in their offense for him. He’s learning, so we expect to see him, and we’re prepared for that.”

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Speaking of Ochocinco, Chargers head coach Norv Turner even admitted to paying attention to the press conference in which counterpart Bill Belichick was asked about Ochocinco’s minimal role in a Pats game plan that produced 517 yards passing at Miami.

“He said it best,” said Turner of Belichick. “I mean, they're not in the business of trying to get the ball to a certain guy. They’re trying to move the ball, run their offense and be productive. I don’t t know if they can be more productive than they were on Monday night.

“It’s the coverages and how we play that dictate that Chad’s gonna get the ball. I’ve seen him first-hand. He had a big game against us here two years ago. He’s extremely dangerous.”

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When a group of 28 retired NFL players filed a class-action lawsuit against the players' union, Brady found himself at the top of the list of named defendants who are active players. It was light-heartedly suggested to Brady, who was also among 10 players whose names adorned a players' lawsuit to avert a lockout, that perhaps a name change would be in order for him as well.

“Change it to what?” he said. “Uno y dos?”

Injury list

Able to practice for the third straight day, wide receivers Patrick Crayton and Vincent Brown were declared “probable” for Sunday’s game, though it’s almost certain that the latter will not be activated to play (and the former might not be). The only players listed as definitely out are defensive end Luis Castillo (fractured tibia) and linebacker Jonas Mouton (shoulder).